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Boston Public Library’s June author events include an author panel celebrating Pride Month, talks including topics such as local history, urban gardening, the evolution of human nature, and more. All programs and events can be viewed via www.bpl.org/calendar.

Emem Uko, author of Hers To Tell, Notice Me, and Janus, discusses her work on Saturday, June 2, at 1 p.m. at the East Boston Branch at 365 East Bremen Street.

Author and Harvard health policy professor David Hemenway shares the public health implications of gun violence and will be introduced by Boston Police Commissioner Bill Evans. Tuesday, June 5, at 6:30 p.m. at the South End Branch, located at 685 Tremont Street. Part of the South End Writes series.

Gretel Anspach, Trustee of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, gives tips and techniques for urban gardening on Tuesday, June 5, at 6:30 p.m. at the Faneuil Branch, located at 419 Faneuil Street in Brighton.

Andrea Lawlor, Mackenzi Lee, and Charles Rice-Gonzalez join moderator Caroline Linden for a Pride Month author panel on Thursday, June 7, at 6 p.m. in Rabb Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street.

Book critic James Wood joins author Rupert Thomson to discuss Thomson’s newest book, Never Anyone But You, which raises critical questions about the tension between art and political activism, on Monday, June 11, at 6 p.m. in Rabb Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street.

Soner Cagaptay, Beyer Family fellow and director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute, gives a lecture “Great Decisions – Turkey: A Partner in Crisis” on Tuesday, June 12, at 6 p.m. in Rabb Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street. Please register via Eventbrite.

Local GirlTrek leader Nicole Chandler discusses how GirlTrek is creating a national movement to transform the health of African American women and girls by walking and she shares how to get connected locally. Saturday, June 16, at 10 a.m. at the Roslindale Branch, located at 4246 Washington Street.

Ellen Levy reads from her novel Romance at Stonegate, which details a relationship between two young Jewish women who fall in love in 1910. Monday, June 18, at 6:30 p.m. at the West Roxbury Branch, located at 1961 Centre Street.

An author panel featuring the evolution of human nature includes panelists Lisa Feldman Barret, Nathan H. Lents, Kenneth R. Miller, and moderator Deborah Blum on Thursday, June 21, at 6 p.m. in Rabb Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street.

Anthony M. Sammarco, local historian and author, recounts the history of Back Bay on Thursday, June 28, at 6:30 p.m. at the West End Branch, located at 151 Cambridge Street.

About BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARYBoston Public Library provides educational, cultural and civic enrichment, free to all, for the residents of Boston, Massachusetts and beyond, through its collections, services, programs, and spaces. Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library is a pioneer of public library service in America. It was the first large free municipal library in the United States, the first public library to lend books, the first to have a branch library, and the first to have a children’s room. As a City of Boston historic cultural institution, Boston Public Library today features a Central Library, twenty-five branches, a map center, business library, archival center; extensive special collections of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and prints; and rich digital content and online services. The award-winning renovation of the Central Library in Copley Square, completed in 2016, together with new, renovated and historic branches, provide a transformed library for the next generation of users. Boston Public Library enriches lives, hosting thousands of free educational programs and exhibitions, and provides free library services online and in-person to millions of people each year. To learn more, visit bpl.org.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, in collaboration with the Boston Art Commission and Boston Public Library, today announced a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a public art project to complement the renovation of the Dudley Branch of the Boston Public Library.

The RFP is for the first of two Percent for Art projects that the City of Boston is commissioning as part of the renovation of the library. The Percent for Art program sets aside one percent of the City’s annual capital borrowing budget for the commission of public art.

“I’m very excited to see how these public art installations will enhance the design of the renovated branch,” said Mayor Walsh. “The Dudley Library has been a pillar in the Roxbury neighborhood for years, and this artwork will only make it more welcoming and reflective of the vibrant community that surrounds it.”

The Dudley Branch is currently undergoing a $17.2 million renovation included as part of Mayor Walsh’s Imagine Boston 2030 Capital Plan, scheduled to reopen in 2020, that will fully modernize the facility. The renovation includes a new welcome area overlooking a redesigned plaza, improved visibility and openness, dedicated space for children, teens, and adults, a nutrition lab and learning lab, refreshed collections, and more.

The project has a budget of $250,000 and is for a site-specific, impactful, focal design feature; with a second RFP being issued this summer for graphics and images that will be reproduced and fabricated by the design team to animate interior spaces within the library.

The City is accepting questions about the project until Friday, May 18, 2018 by 5 p.m. EST and the deadline to submit proposals is Friday, June 8, 2018 by 12 p.m. EST.

“We are thrilled to see the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture incorporate public art into the redesign project for the Dudley Branch, which I hope will add another dynamic visual element and help ensure the new library space is welcoming, inspiring, and of the community,” said David Leonard, President of the Boston Public Library.

Potential locations for the artwork include a large concrete wall that is visible from many areas of the library, as well as from Warren Street.

“The Dudley Branch Library is a valuable ‘third space’ in the Roxbury Cultural District where our community gathers to learn, convene, have fun and share our stories,” said Kelley Chunn, President & Chair of the Roxbury Cultural District. “Cultural representation matters, and so we are glad that community based artists will have a voice in the reimagining of this precious public resource.”

The RFP is open to all professional artists, artisans, architects, landscape architects, or teams with experience in public art, site responsive design, project management, and construction administration. Professionals from Roxbury are encouraged to apply.

“This project will allow us to continue working toward a major goal outlined in the Boston Creates cultural plan, which is to integrate arts, culture, and creativity into the public realm and urban environment,” said Julie Burros, Chief of Arts and Culture. “I look forward to seeing the public’s response to the art, and the impact it has on visitors to the space.”

An Artist Selection Committee comprising representatives from the Boston Art Commission and local arts professionals representing the neighborhood of Roxbury will review the submissions. A contract is expected to be awarded in July 2018. Artists can submit proposals here.

About the Percent for Art Program
The Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture (MOAC) released the City’s first cultural plan, Boston Creates, in 2016, calling for increased support to Boston’s arts and culture ecosystem. The Percent for Art Program is a critical policy outcome of this planning process and addresses Goal 4 of the plan: to integrate arts and culture into all aspects of civic life, inspiring all Bostonians to value, practice, and reap the benefits of creativity in their individual lives and in their communities. The Percent for Art Program demonstrates the City’s leadership and commitment to sustainable funding for the arts by setting aside one percent of the City’s annual capital borrowing budget for the commissioning of public art. The Percent for Art Program is administered by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture and the Boston Art Commission, in collaboration with the Office of Budget Management, the Public Facilities Department, and other City departments. For more information, visit here.

About the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture
The Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture’s mission is to support artists, the cultural sector, and to promote access to the arts for all. The office houses the Boston Cultural Council, the Boston Art Commission, and the Poet Laureate program. Responsibilities include leading up the City’s cultural plan, Boston Creates; managing the Boston Artist-in-Residence program; curating exhibitions in City Hall; and operating the historic Strand Theater in Dorchester. For more information, visit here.

About the Boston Art Commission
The Boston Art Commission (BAC), an independent board of arts leaders charged with the care and custody of all artworks on City of Boston property, advocates for the creation of innovative and transformative art and promotes its accessibility to enrich the lives of Boston’s diverse citizens and visitors. The Art Commission advises, supports, and consults with artists and communities, City departments, and others. It commissions, approves, and conserves the City of Boston’s collection of art and historical artifacts. For more information, visit here.

About Boston Public Library
Boston Public Library provides educational, cultural and civic enrichment, free to all, for the residents of Boston, Massachusetts and beyond, through its collections, services, programs, and spaces. Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library is a pioneer of public library service in America. It was the first large free municipal library in the United States, the first public library to lend books, the first to have a branch library, and the first to have a children’s room. As a City of Boston historic cultural institution, Boston Public Library today features a Central Library, twenty-five branches, a map center, business library, archival center; extensive special collections of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and prints; and rich digital content and online services. The award-winning renovation of the Central Library in Copley Square, completed in 2016, together with new, renovated and historic branches, provide a transformed library system for the next generation of users. Boston Public Library enriches lives, hosting thousands of free educational programs and exhibitions, and providing free library services online and in-person to millions of people each year. To learn more, visit bpl.org.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced that writer and educator Jabari Asim and former state legislator Linda Dorcena Forry have been appointed to the Boston Public Library Board of Trustees. Journalist Ben Bradlee has also been re-appointed as Trustee. The Trustees’ mission is to preserve and provide access to historical records of our society, and to serve the cultural, educational, and informational needs of the city of Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

“Linda Dorcena Forry and Jabari Asim both have served the public and understand the critical importance of making information accessible for all communities at the Boston Public Library,” said Mayor Walsh. “The City of Boston is honored to have them join the Board of Trustees and utilize their knowledge, expertise, and personal experiences to further our iconic institution’s important work.”

Asim fills the Board’s unofficial writer’s seat, which has been previously held by notable authors such as Dennis Lehane, David McCullough and Doris Kearns Goodwin.

“As a patron, researcher and author, I’ve benefited from the BPL’s expansive archives and programs,” said Jabari Asim. “I look forward to participating as a board member and contributing to its continued growth as an enduring institution and community resource.”

“I am honored to join the Boston Public Library board of trustees, as I have worked throughout my career in the Legislature to support and strengthen Boston’s system of branch libraries,” said Linda Dorcena Forry. “I look forward to putting my experience in city and state government to work on this board. Boston’s public library system is so important to the people of our city. Thanks to the leadership of Mayor Martin Walsh, board chairman Robert Gallery, and the BPL board, we are poised to make exciting investments into our system. I am thrilled to join this remarkable institution.” Ben Bradlee Jr., author and a former editor for The Boston Globe, has been re-appointed to the Boston Public Library Board of Trustees.

“On behalf of my fellow trustees, we are thrilled to welcome Linda and Jabari to the Board and getting to continue to work with Ben, I am confident that their backgrounds and passion for the Boston Public Library and all it provides will be tremendous assets to our community,” said Robert Gallery, Chair of the BPL Trustees. “From supplying important educational and cultural resources to providing great library environments to our neighborhoods, Linda, Jabari and Ben will be serving Boston in such an important capacity.”

The Boston Public Library Board of Trustees establishes policies and sets the strategic goals of the library, oversees the general operating and administrative policies, and acts as an agent of public trust governing the library. The BPL Board of Trustees works together with the library president to carry out responsibilities that involve governance and policy-making, financial and development oversight, and the work of strategic planning.

ABOUT JABARI ASIM

Jabari Asim is an author, poet, playwright and associate professor of writing, literature and publishing at Emerson College, where he directs the MFA creative writing program. He is also the executive editor of The Crisis, the NAACP’s journal of politics, ideas and culture founded by historian and social activist W. E. B. Du Bois in 1910. Asim’s nonfiction books include “The N Word: Who Can Say It, Who Shouldn’t, and Why,” “What Obama Means: …For Our Culture, Our Politics, Our Future,” and “Not Guilty: Twelve Black Men Speak Out on Law, Justice, and Life.” His works of fiction include “A Taste of Honey” and his latest novel, “Only the Strong” (Agate Bolden). Asim is also the author of several children’s books, including “Whose Toes Are Those?” and “Fifty Cents and a Dream: Young Booker T. Washington. He was an editor at The Washington Post for 11 years. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, he now lives in Brookline with his wife Liana and their five children.

ABOUT LINDA DORCENA FORRY

Linda Dorcena Forry is Suffolk Construction’s Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Relations for the Northeast region, In this position, she is responsible for strengthening its diversity and inclusion program, developing long-term talent, and ensuring compliance with local workforce requirements. Before joining Suffolk, Forry served in the Massachusetts State Legislature for 13 years. She was the first woman and person of color elected to represent the First Suffolk Senate District, which includes Dorchester, Hyde Park, Mattapan and South Boston. She served in the post since 2013, and before that, was state Representative for the Twelfth Suffolk House District. She is the daughter of Haitian immigrants, and grew up near Uphams Corner in Dorchester. Along with her new trustee position, Dorcena Forry also serves on boards including the John F. Kennedy Library Advisory Board, the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester, and the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti. Forry lives in Dorchester will her husband Bill and their four children.

ABOUT BEN BRADLEE JR.

Ben Bradlee, Jr. spent 25 years, from 1979 to 2004, with The Boston Globe — 10 years as a reporter and 15 as an editor. As deputy managing editor, he oversaw the Globe’s Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church from July 2001 to August 2002, and also supervised the production of a book on the subject, “Betrayal,” which Little, Brown published in June, 2002. “Spotlight,” a major feature film on the Globe’s investigation, was released in the fall of 2015 and won two Academy Awards, for best original screenplay and best picture. Bradlee is portrayed in the film by actor John Slattery. A graduate of Colby College, Bradlee served in the Peace Corps in Afghanistan from 1970-1972. On his return to the United States in 1972, he went to work as a reporter for the Riverside (Calif.) Press-Enterprise, remaining there until mid 1975.

ABOUT BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

Boston Public Library provides educational, cultural and civic enrichment, free to all, for the residents of Boston, Massachusetts and beyond, through its collections, services, programs, and spaces. Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library is a pioneer of public library service in America. It was the first large free municipal library in the United States, the first public library to lend books, the first to have a branch library, and the first to have a children’s room. As a City of Boston historic cultural institution, Boston Public Library today features a Central Library, twenty-five branches, a map center, business library, archival center; extensive special collections of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and prints; and rich digital content and online services. The award-winning renovation of the Central Library in Copley Square, completed in 2016, together with new, renovated and historic branches, provide a transformed library system for the next generation of users. Boston Public Library enriches lives, hosting thousands of free educational programs and exhibitions, and provides free library services online and in-person to millions of people each year. To learn more, visit bpl.org.

Join Bruce Kennett as he discusses his newly published work A. Dwiggins: A Life in Design (2018), the first comprehensive biography to be written about renowned graphic designer, illustrator, and commercial artist William Addison Dwiggins. Wednesday, May 2, at 6 p.m. in Rabb Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street.

Acclaimed Chicano poet, novelist, children’s book author, and journalist Luis J. Rodriguez tells the story of his childhood as a gang member in the national bestseller Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A.Thursday, May 3, at 6 p.m. in Rabb Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street. Part of the Lowell Lecture Series.

Editor Mary Lovell discusses Frank Lovell’s World War II Diaries, providing insight into the European war theater years, on Saturday, May 5, at 1:30 p.m. at the West Roxbury Branch, located at 1961 Center Street.

Actor, icon, and social media guru George Takei speaks about his internment camp experience during World War II, shares how his story became the basis for the hit Broadway show Allegiance, and offers thoughts on the timely lessons of this cautionary tale. The cast of SpeakEasy Stage Company’s production of Allegiance will also perform. Tuesday, May 8, at 6:30 p.m. in Rabb Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis after individuals with tickets are seated. An Eventbrite registration link will be available this week.

Ronni Baer, Elfers Senior Curator of European Painting at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, discusses M.C. Escher, his works, and the exhibitionC. Escher: Infinite Dimensions (on view at the MFA until May 28). Tuesday, May 8, at 6 p.m. in the Abbey Room at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street. This event is presented by the Associates of the Boston Public Library.

Join Boston Public Library President David Leonard in conversation with Robert Kuttner, author of Can Democracy Survive Global Capitalism? and Lisa Lynch, Provost at Brandeis University in the first installment of “The Public Conversation,” a series in which BPL President David Leonard is in conversation with academics, writers, and intellectuals to discuss events and issues of the national collective conscience. Wednesday, May 9, at 6 p.m. in Rabb Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street. The series is sponsored by Bank of America. Please visit Eventbrite to register.

Frederick R. Morin and John Galluzzo explore the history of aviation in the Commonwealth, beginning with the aviation fever that gripped the state after the Wright brothers took flight. Wednesday, May 9, at 6 p.m. in the Commonwealth Salon at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street. Part of the Local and Family History Series.

Bernice A. King, minister, attorney, and daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., discusses a variety of topics, including her book Hard Questions, Heart Answers, on Thursday, May 10, at 6 p.m. in Rabb Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street. Please register via Eventbrite. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis after individuals with tickets are seated.

Mary Kilroy discusses Germinating Seedlings, stories that span the impact of emigration, historical experiences through generations, and the search for ancestry. Thursday, May 10, at 6 p.m. at the West Roxbury Branch, located at 1961 Center Street.

Hear what it’s like to raise honeybees, learn what you can do to help honeybees flourish, and taste a sampling of honeys from all over the world during a talk with local beekeeper Dave Strickler on Monday, May 14, at 6 p.m. at the Connolly Branch, located at 433 Centre Street in Jamaica Plain.

Patrick K. O’Donnell portrays the untold story of America’s unknown soldier and the WWII decorated heroes who brought him home in The Unknowns on Monday, May 14, at 6 p.m. in the Commonwealth Salon at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street.

Sam Graham-Felsen, a former Obama campaign staffer and reporter for “The Nation,” will discuss his first coming of age novel Green on Thursday, May 17, at 6:30 p.m. at the Jamaica Plain Branch, located at 30 South Street.

Jessica Zhang shares her novel The Crimson Eyed Buddha (Chinese), which is based on the rural life in the northeast and the life of the workers in the city. Thursday, May 17, at 6:30 p.m. at the West Roxbury Branch, located at 1961 Center Street.

Noted author Allegra Goodman will read from her newest novel The Chalk Artist on Tuesday, May 22, at 6:30 p.m. at the South End Branch, located at 685 Tremont Street. Part of the South End Writes Series.

Lisa Berenson discusses an ambitious initiative to transform and restore a former Jewish mortuary chapel in East Boston into a state-of-the-art exhibit hall on the history of immigration in the Boston area. Wednesday, May 23, at 6 p.m. in the Commonwealth Salon at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street. Part of the Local and Family History Series.

Mindy Fried reads from her memoir Caring for Red, a moving and colorful account of caring for her ninety-seven-year-old father, Manny – an actor, writer, and labor organizer – in the final year of his life. Thursday, May 24, at 6 p.m. at the West Roxbury Branch, located at 1961 Center Street.

In his debut novel Death Postponed, Gustaf Berger follows a human-interest journalist from a small New York City weekly who finds herself unexpectedly investigating a 14-year-old insurance scam related to the World Trade Center attacks. Thursday, May 31, at 6 p.m. at the West Roxbury Branch, located at 1961 Center Street.

About BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

Boston Public Library provides educational, cultural and civic enrichment, free to all, for the residents of Boston, Massachusetts and beyond, through its collections, services, programs, and spaces. Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library is a pioneer of public library service in America. It was the first large free municipal library in the United States, the first public library to lend books, the first to have a branch library, and the first to have a children’s room. As a City of Boston historic cultural institution, Boston Public Library today features a Central Library, twenty-five branches, a map center, business library, archival center; extensive special collections of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and prints; and rich digital content and online services. The award-winning renovation of the Central Library in Copley Square, completed in 2016, together with new, renovated and historic branches, provide a transformed library system for the next generation of users. Boston Public Library enriches lives, hosting thousands of free educational programs and exhibitions, and provides free library services online and in-person to millions of people each year. To learn more, visit bpl.org.

Boston artist Charles Coe’s photography and stories display highlights Mission Hill residents and workers in “What You Don’t Know about Me,” which begins today and runs through September 30, 2018 in Gallery J on the first floor of the Johnson building at the Central Library in Copley Square. This show is the first to occupy Gallery J, which was primarily created to feature the collections of the BPL and related programming in conjunction with the Central Library Renovation, completed in 2016.

“Boston Public Library welcomes visitors to meet the friendly faces and voices of one of Boston’s storied neighborhoods in the library’s newest gallery space, in what we hope will be the first of many displays sharing experiences and artifacts that embody our collective cultural heritage,” said Meghan Weeks, Boston Public Library’s Curator of Interpretation.

“What You Don’t Know about Me” is the second phase of a project created by Charles Coe as a 2017 City of Boston Artist-In-Residence. Coe was chosen, along with nine other artists who work in a variety of media, to establish community-based, collaborative art projects in cooperation with Boston Centers for Children & Families (BCYF). Based at the Tobin Community Center, Coe traversed the Mission Hill neighborhood collecting bits of personal history from people who live or work in the neighborhood and matched each anecdote with a photograph of the teller. The stories offer combinations of image and story that create moments of surprise and encourage us all, in an increasingly divided society, to move beyond stereotypes and preconceptions and engage our neighbors with open minds.

About BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

Boston Public Library provides educational, cultural and civic enrichment, free to all, for the residents of Boston, Massachusetts and beyond, through its collections, services, programs, and spaces. Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library is a pioneer of public library service in America. It was the first large free municipal library in the United States, the first public library to lend books, the first to have a branch library, and the first to have a children’s room. As a City of Boston historic cultural institution, Boston Public Library today features a Central Library, twenty-five branches, a map center, business library, archival center; extensive special collections of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and prints; and rich digital content and online services. The award-winning renovation of the Central Library in Copley Square, completed in 2016, together with new, renovated and historic branches, provide a transformed library system for the next generation of users. Boston Public Library enriches lives, hosting thousands of free educational programs and exhibitions, and provides free library services online and in-person to millions of people each year. To learn more, visit bpl.org.